Over the holiday break, a group of delegates from China were welcomed by Riverside County’s Office of Foreign Trade. In fact, the county welcomed 10 different groups of delegates during 2011 in a push to spur economic development and mutually beneficial relations. In particular, the county has tried to create interest in agriculture exports to China.
The latest batch of delegates visited to discuss exporting navel oranges to the Jiangsu Province, according to Tom Freeman, spokeswoman for Riverside County’s Economic Development Agency. Foreign firms from the country have also expressed interest in Riverside’s Hunter Business Park. The Press Enterprise reports:
“Freeman also said the county has been working with Riverside’s mayor and UC Riverside for months to land a battery factory. Winston Chung, a Chinese businessman and inventor of lithium ion batteries who invested heavily in Inland RV maker MVP RV and UC Riverside, has said he wants to build a battery factory but hasn’t said where.”
And of course, no foreign visit is complete without the exchanging of gifts. We’ll leave it to you to decide who fared better in that department, as the county received four jade bracelets and the Chinese delegates were given a cherry wood desk clock with the phrase, “Friendship is timeless.”
The jade bracelets aren't gonna help you see that you're late to your next meeting!
Posted by: eah | 01/04/2012 at 09:42 AM